-
5 Two Kingdoms
The first two studies on the Gospel Law were designed to show the dividing lines between the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace. Unless these Covenants be clearly distinguished and the jurisdiction of each province be strictly applied, then all types of confusion ensues on many levels of doctrine and practice. Reference was then made in the previous…
-
6 The Gospel Precepts Introduced
Having looked at the province and principle of the Gospel Law, we now turn to the precepts. A precept is “a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought”. The Heart Law has two precepts (commandments)—to love God supremely and one’s neighbor as one’s self. The Moral Law (Ten Commandments) is a special application of the Heart Law for the…
-
7 The Personal Precepts of the Gospel Law (1/2)
As I mentioned in the previous study, there are several ways the precepts of the Gospel Law could be catalogued. I have chosen to select the threefold category of Gospel precepts given by James in the first chapter of his epistle, the twenty-seventh verse: James 1:27: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the…
-
8 The Personal Precepts of the Gospel Law (2/2)
If the believer is to keep himself unspotted from the world (Js 1:27), then he must learn how to govern his own soul. Otherwise, he will be like a city that is broken down, and without walls (Prov 25:28). If the believer lacks the personal discipline to keep his own heart with all diligence (Prov 4:23), then he will experience…
-
9 The God-ward Precepts of the Gospel Law
James 1:27: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” In a single statement, James reduces the precepts of the Gospel Law under three headings: 1. The God-ward Precepts of the Gospel Law—“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the…
-
10 The Relational Precepts of the Gospel Law
James 1:27: “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” In a single statement, James reduces the precepts of the Gospel Law under three headings: 1. The God-ward Precepts of the Gospel Law—“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the…
